I will reach out via email to schedule your child's conference with a link to my calendar so you can choose a day and time that works best for you.

 

 

 

Align with FastBridge Assessments (Fall, Winter, Spring). A copy of your child's FastBridge report will be included with the letter to receive AIS and the Winter and Spring progress reports that will be sent home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

READING STRATEGIES

are tools readers use WHILE reading in order to enhance and monitor their understanding of the text.

 

ACTIVATING SCHEMA

WHAT is this strategy?  This can also be referred to as background knowledge.  Each reader brings their own ideas and previous knowledge to the texts they are reading.

WHY is this important? By connecting new ideas to our existing schema, readers are able to better understand the text and form new ideas.  Ask your child how their schema is like a   lint roller!

 

MAKING CONNECTIONS

WHAT is this strategy? We use our background knowledge to make connections to the texts we read.  

WHY is this important? Connections are made when the story reminds you of something else.  We will learn about three different types of connections:

   Text-to-Self- the text reminds you of something in your life

Text-to-World- the text reminds you of something in the world

Text-to-Text- the text reminds you of something else you have read 

 

VISUALIZING

WHAT is this strategy? Visualizing helps readers see what is happening in the story they are reading. 

WHY is this important? Readers make mental pictures as they read.  The camera should be running in our minds at all times to help us make these pictures.

 

PREDICTING

WHAT is this strategy? When you make predictions, you use clues that the author has given to make a guess about what will happen next.  

WHY is this important? Sometimes our predictions are confirmed (What we predicted is what actually happened) and sometimes our predictions are contradicted (What we predicted is not what actually happened).  We use background knowledge and clues from the author to make predictions and confirm or contradict them as we read.

 

QUESTIONING

WHAT is this strategy? Asking questions as you read: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How.

WHY is this important? Asking questions helps us to better understand the story.  We should constantly be asking ourselves questions and then reading to find the answers.

 

INFERRING

WHAT is this strategy?  Sometimes when we read, the author does not come right out and tell us everything.  

WHY is this important? We need to use our own background knowledge, along with clues from the story, in order to form new ideas.  

BOOK + BRAIN = NEW IDEA

 

MONITORING

WHAT is this strategy?  As we read, we need to monitor our reading to be sure it makes sense and we understand what is happening. WHY is this important? When comprehension breaks down, readers need to stop and adjust their reading. This often means going back to reread something more closely so that we understand it.

 

 

 

 

READING SKILLS

 are used AFTER reading to show that a reader understands what was read.

 

MAIN IDEA & DETAILS

WHAT is this skill?  The main idea is what a story is mostly about.  It can also be the most important point that an author is trying to make.  Details are the things that are included in the story to explain or support the main idea.

WHY is this important?  Good readers think about the important things, or key details, that happen in a story to help them find the main idea.

 

FACT and OPINION

WHAT is this skill? A fact is a statement that you can prove true or false by looking in a reference book, asking an expert, or using your own knowledge or experience.  An opinion cannot be proven true or false.  It tells someone’s ideas or feelings.  Clue words like best, beautiful, and should show statements of opinion.        

WHY is this important? Good readers are able to identify facts and opinions.  They can use facts to tell what is true about a topic.  They can use opinions to understand how a character thinks.  Thinking about facts and opinions helps readers understand books better.

 

CAUSE and EFFECT

WHAT is this skill?  Most things happen for a reason.  The effect is what happens. The cause is why it happens. Words like because can help you figure out why something happens.

WHY is this important?  Good readers ask themselves: What happened?  To find the cause, they should ask: Why did it happen?

 

SEQUENCE

WHAT is this skill?  Sequence is the order in which things happen.  As you read, think about what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of a story.  You can also look for clue words and phrases that help you understand when things are happening.  

WHY is this important?  Good readers need to pay attention to the sequence of events in a story.  This helps them to keep track of what happens.

 

COMPARE & CONTRAST

WHAT is this skill?  Compare and contrast means to tell how things are alike and different.  Some clue words that signal that thing might be the same are like, same, both, also, and as well as. Some clue words that signal differences are but, however, different, and instead of.

WHY is this important?  Good readers look for clues that tell how things are alike and different.

 

DRAW CONCLUSIONS

WHAT is this skill?  When you draw conclusions you use clues found when reading words and looking at pictures. You use these clues with what you already know in real life to help you figure out something that is not written in a story or an article.

WHY is this important?  Good readers use what they read and what they know about real life to figure out more about the characters and what happens in a selection.

 

 PLOT

WHAT is this skill?  All stories have a beginning, middle, and an end.  We call things that happen in the beginning, middle, and at the end of a story the plot.

WHY is this important?  Knowing about the plot can help a reader better understand a story.  Good readers listen to what happens and the order in which it happens.

 

 AUTHOR'S PURPOSE

WHAT is this skill?  Author’s purpose is the reason and author writes something.  An author may write to persuade, to inform, to entertain, describe or to express ideas and feelings.  The kinds of ideas in the text and the way the author organizes and states these ideas can help you determine the author’s purpose.

WHY is this important?  Understanding the author’s purpose helps good readers determine what information is important to understanding the text.

 

THEME

WHAT is this skill?  Theme is the one big idea or lesson of the story or poem.  You can use things that have happened in your own life to help you understand the theme.  It is the underlying meaning of the story or poem.

WHY is this important?  Good readers understand that theme is the idea that holds a story or poem together.  When you read, look for a big idea, or a lesson you can learn.

 

CHARACTER

WHAT is this skill?  A character is a person or animal in a story.  Identifying characters in a story helps the readers have a better understanding of the text.

WHY is this important?  Knowing about characters can help a reader better understand a story.  Good readers look for clues about what characters do and how they feel.